Multiple drug overdoses at Wesleyan party lead to guilty plea

Though alarmed by the overdoses, many on campus felt betrayed by the school’s response.

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A former Wesleyan University student pleaded guilty to federal drug charges Thursday, admitting that he distributed what he thought was MDMA, known as Molly, that sickened nearly a dozen people in February of this year.

Zachary Kramer, 22, was one of five people arrested in connection with the multiple overdoses in a case that focused national attention on college drug use, the Washington Post reported, adding that the drug Kramer was distributing wasn’t Molly and was, in fact, related to K2 and Spice, powerful synthetics that mimic cannabis. This class of drugs has been linked to hundreds of hospitalizations and a number of deaths in recent years, the report added.

“You’re talking about a poison,” Andre W. Kellum, the assistant agent in charge of the DEA’s Washington Field Division, told the Post. “We don’t know the compounds — we really don’t know the true effect of what can happen to every individual that takes it."

In all, 10 Wesleyan students and one guest were hospitalized after overdosing from the drug, the New York Times reported. Five students were arrested and later expelled for distributing the drug that led to the overdoses, but only Kramer and fellow former student Eric Lonergan face federal charges as authorities believe they were the main suppliers, the Times added.

Though alarmed by the hospitalizations, many on campus felt betrayed by the school’s response, the Post claimed, stating that students started an online petition to condemn the prosecution of the “Wesleyan Five.”

“Is this justice?” the petition was quoted in the Post. “Why is the university not taking immediate steps to challenge the laws that make test kits available in dormitories?"

In addition to a prison term, Kramer also faces supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million, the Times reported, adding that he is scheduled to be sentenced in February by Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford.